These Three Months
by thewallsofjerico
Summary: Well, Kurt and Dave are together now in SYAKC, but what happened during summer break? Could it have an effect on Dave's new found love? Prequel to Senior Year; A Kurtofsky Chronicle Part 1. R: M for potty mouth Dave and possible future smexy times...
1. Chapter 1

**Well, I promised you guys a one shot, but this might be a bit longer… Have you ever wondered how Dave spent his summer? Well, here you are! OMG, what if Kurt finds out! Obviously, I don't own Glee or any of the characters in it. The only ones I own are the original characters Emily and Lee. I hope you all enjoy:**

**These Three Months**

**Chapter 1: History Always Repeats Itself**

Here he was again, standing in the middle of the crowded gymnasium full of faceless people. The lights and paper streamers and ribbons all helping to form a whirling mess of color, disorienting him as the faceless teens watched.

Music was playing, slow and haunting –he was pretty sure it hadn't been that way before. _It was supposed to be Dancing Queen, wasn't it?_ A faceless girl in a red dress stood on the stage in front of the mic where Santana had been. His head was reeling now. This couldn't be happening for real. _It's a dream, a really fucked up dream! This… this isn't real! _As he said it, he heard his thoughts echo around the space –for it didn't even look like the gym he was in a minute ago- resounding louder and louder.

The faceless people turned towards him, pointing and laughing from invisible mouths as he became aware of something heavy tightening around his head. Reaching up, he felt the smooth, cold surface of a crown. It wasn't the plastic one he'd worn on the actual night that had seemed so light and comfortable. All of his attempts to pry it off failed and only seemed to bring more spiteful laughter and jeering. _It was all a joke; __**he**__ was a joke _and as he fought the hot stinging building in his eyes a figure appeared before him bathed in a blinding light.

"What did you expect Karofsky?" it taunted. "Did you think you could just keep running away? Did you think you could just keep making a fool out of me?"

"N- no…" he stuttered. "P- please…"

"Please?" spat the figure. "Please _what_, Karofsky? Please make it stop? Please make the pain go away? Please _what_?"

Dave whimpered, the crown squeezing tighter, threatening to crush his skull. He fell to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably as the pain in his head began to climb, trying to match the level of pain that he felt inside. _Please… please… _he begged. _I'm sorry… please… I'm so sorry… make it stop… please… _

The figures erupted in a fury of shrill, mirthless laughter. The scene became a cacophony of jeers, taunts, and the horrible laughter, swirling around him until he was overwhelmed and sank even further onto his hands and knees, crawling around and bleating like a scared little lamb surrounded by a pack of rabid wolves; _please… please…please…_

"_Dave?"_

_Please… I can't take it anymore… I can't… please…_

"_Dave."_

_Just make it go away… just… please…_

"_Dave!"_

The large boy's eyes snapped open, light flooding the dark world of his dreams much too fast so that he let out a muffled shout.

"Wha- what the fuck?" he breathed, wiping his eyes furiously.

"You were moaning in your sleep again," said a voice. "This is the third time this week."

Dave felt soft, small hands grasping his own large, rough ones and drawing them back from his eyes. He blinked around trying to adjust to the light which was almost blinding compared to the dark world from which he was just dragged. Looking to his left he saw a pair of dark brown eyes staring concernedly at him. They were framed by a kind, caramel toned face.

_Oh yeah, _he thought, _that's right._ Dave looked around at the sparse dormitory.

He needed to get out of Lima; needed to escape the suffocating scent of strawberries and cream that seemed to hang in the air no matter where he went. So in the last week of junior year, Dave decided to take an eight week pre-college intensive at Northwestern University. He had a cousin attending the school at the Chicago campus so Dave decided to head there.

It hadn't taken much convincing to get his dad to pay the $1500 for the course. After his short period of decline, Paul worried about his son. The bullying had taken quite a toll on Dave's grades and getting some college credits would no doubt improve his transcripts. A little time in a big city wouldn't hurt either. Lima was small and one could run out of things to do very quickly. Chicago should prove to have an almost endless amount of activities, museums, parks and concerts to keep Dave occupied. In fact Paul felt that the trip would be so good for Dave that he gave him and extra $2000 as spending money, not much in a city like Chicago, but certainly enough for Dave who didn't tend to splurge so much.

He left Lima behind in the last week of June. Chicago would definitely prove to be a change of pace. It was the biggest city he'd ever been to, but it still had a familiar, small-town kind of feel about it. The pace was still relaxed compared to what he'd heard about from cities like New York so it didn't require too much adjusting to. Orientation had introduced him to the fifty other students who would be joining him in his courses, each studying their desired fields and getting a taste of what college would be like.

His cousin, Emily would be taking summer classes too so they'd be hanging out more often –something they hadn't really done since Dave was still in middle school before Emily moved away. Aside from Azimio, Emily was one of the people he'd allowed himself to get close to, but he promised himself to try and make some new friends.

He met Lee Love, his roommate as soon as he checked into his dorm. Even with his lack of experience in the matter, Dave could tell right away that Lee was gay. _God is either testing me, or playing a really cruel joke,_ Dave thought to himself when he first met the boy who answered the door, clad in a lavender shirt and the shortest shorts Dave had ever set his eyes on. _Seriously, this guy could give Hummel a run for his money. _Dave knew immediately that this would be a summer he wouldn't soon forget.

"Morning," the boy said, attempting a smile.

"Love?" he said in a confused voice.

The boy nodded and even with his complexion, Dave could see the slightest hint of pink gracing his cheeks. The boy bit his bottom lip and hesitated before taking a damp washcloth to Dave's forehead and neck. It was then that the jock realized he was drenched in sweat. Instinctively he caught the other boy's wrist, stopping him and sat up.

"D- don't do that," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry," Lee whispered. He lowered his head sadly, his eyes narrowing at the rejection. "I was just trying to help," he said as he placed his hands on his knees and pushed himself up to a standing position.

Dave sat quietly for a second looking at his hands. He was pushing people away again. "I'm sorry…" he mumbled.

Lee took a deep breath and turned, startling the jock with his wide smile. "Don't be. I get it. You're not comfortable with guys touching you."

Dave flushed, surprised by the boy's blatant remark. It was true though. Ever since the locker room kiss he'd shared with Kurt Hummel he'd been very jittery when guys touched him in any form of an affectionate way. He couldn't help it; he was still just getting over his self-loathing phase and any kind of affectionate interaction with a guy was still foreign to him.

"It's OK, Dave," Lee said reassuringly. "You don't have to take it so personally. I know it's weird bunking with a gay guy, but I promise you I'm not going to try anything. Believe me, I've learned not to push," he said absently touching his arm.

Dave's eyes followed the boy's hand as it closed around a large scar that covered most of his upper arm. He winced as he imagined how it had gotten there. He'd first seen it on their third night as roommates, but never asked about it, figuring that Lee didn't want to talk about it.

"It was a crowbar," Lee said when he caught Dave staring at it. "It happened right after I came out. Not the wisest thing to do when you live in an all-black neighborhood," he chuckled. Dave blinked at him confusedly. "For some reason," Lee pressed as he leaned against the foot of Dave's bed, "it's a lot more taboo to be gay in the black community. I don't really understand it myself, but I suppose I never really did fit in anyway. I never aspired to be a thug, rapper, or gangsta so I was always the odd man out."

Dave looked uncomfortable. He was about as much at home talking about race as he was sexuality. Lee sighed and stood up straight again.

"You should get out of those clothes," he said, "they're soaked. I was going to do a load of laundry anyway. I'll wash your sheets too."

Dave hesitated, but the wetness _was_ uncomfortable so he took of his shirt and pajama pants leaving on his boxers. Lee glanced at him and smirked, making him blush and turned around, folding his arms.

"Lose the shorts too, Karofsky," the boy said impatiently. "You can use a towel or something. You probably wanted to take a shower anyway."

The jock didn't move right away. Instead his eyes moved first, staring over at the small digital clock on the dresser drawer on the opposite wall. It was still only 7:13 a.m. Dave's first class started at 8:45 so he had quite a bit of time, but Lee was right about him wanting to shower. Even with the window open, the small room was muggy. At long last he moved, bending over quickly, dragging his boxer shorts down and stepping out of them. He cupped his manhood, thankful that he had such large hands and looked around for a towel.

Suddenly one came hurtling Dave's way as Lee tossed it over his shoulder at him. Dave deftly caught it with his free hand and took no time in wrapping it around himself. Lee sighed and waited a minute longer before turning around.

"How did you -" Dave sputtered. The other boy poked his thumb up pointing behind him at the opposite wall. There hung a small mirror about five feet off of the ground. Dave watched as his reflection reddened and his face contorted into a scowl.

"You were fucking watching me?" he asked in a rage. Lee seemed unfazed by Dave's anger and the boy's grin and raised eyebrow almost startled the jock out of his ire.

"Relax, Karofsky," Lee said striding over. Dave backed up as the boy approached, but Lee only came within a few feet before bending down and scooping up the larger boys discarded clothes. Lee shook his head at Dave's reaction and threw the clothes on the bed.

"I could only see you from the chest up," he explained as he pulled off the damp sheets and rolled them up. "I already told you: I'm not going to bother trying anything on you." With that Lee pulled off Dave's sweat and tear soaked pillowcase and tossed it with the large to-wash pile by the door. He turned to face the jock, letting his gaze travel over him slowly from his head to his feet and back.

"I have to admit though, you're not making it easy on me," he said with a wink.

Dave flushed, his hand absentmindedly traveling across his hairy torso. It felt strange to be wanted; it felt good. _Hummel said I wasn't his type… _he remembered. _No, I can't._ He cast down his eyes, unable to meet Lee's gaze any longer. _Love still has no clue that I'm… I'm one of him. I guess I'm not that obvious, not that I'm complaining, _he thought. As he watched the other boy add his own clothes to the laundry pile, Dave thought about how he and Hummel would have been in a situation like this.

He shook the thought out of his head. _This summer isn't about Hummel_, he thought. _I didn't come here so I could spend my time fucking daydream about playing house with Fancy. No one here knows and I intend to keep it that way. It's my second chance; a fresh start and I ain't about to waste it._

Dave straightened himself up and tightened the towel around himself. He reached into the gym bag that he kept beside his bed and extracted his toiletries. Then he walked over to the dresser drawer and pulled out a blue and white crew neck, a pair of faded blue jeans, and some underwear and socks.

"I'm sorry," he said without turning around. "I didn't mean to freak out like that."

"Whatever," Lee replied, not unkindly.

Dave paused a moment before opening the door and heading to the showers. A few other students were wandering about and apparently Dave was about as important to them as the wallpaper because none of them seemed to pay much attention to him. He was used to people scampering out of his way. He was used to looks of fear and nervousness when he walked down the hallway. The city, it seemed, wasn't impressed. He wasn't Dave 'The Fury' Karofsky here. He smiled a little to himself as he pushed open the bathroom door.

* * *

><p>Dave's classes were going well. He'd signed up to take a college mathematics class and a history of cinema class. The work load wasn't terribly hard and he found that he actually got through it quickly enough to have plenty of free time to explore the city. Emily hadn't changed a bit and she insisted on taking him everywhere. Luckily Chicago had a pretty convenient public transit system, but they did end up doing a lot of walking and Dave was pleasantly surprised at finding he'd lost about 10 pounds.<p>

_I wonder if Hummel would notice,_ he thought in the back of his mind. Lee had certainly noticed and there was an increase in ogling and 'unf!' from him. Emily and Lee actually got along pretty well and Dave sometimes wondered if Lee really was gay. He didn't really fit the mold, though admittedly he was much closer than Dave ever thought he could be. He'd never seen a guy walk around in tight shorts and pants outside of Kurt, but the two were incomparable. Where Kurt was thinner, Lee was well built with thick legs and a slightly stocky body. He wasn't fat, just thick and Dave had to admit that it was kind of a distraction and it didn't help that the weather seemed to scream for the boy to show more skin.

_I cannot be attracted to this dude,_ Dave thought, trying to convince himself. _I mean, he's… well he's hot…but I…_ Dave felt a pang of guilt when he thought about Hummel. _Who am I kidding? Hummel would never go for me, he made that perfectly clear –not that I'd want him too… but even if I did, he has a boyfriend anyway._

"Blaine," he spat. He grimaced as if he'd just tasted something completely rancid.

"I'm sorry?" Lee asked looking at the jock with a raised eyebrow.

"N- nothing…" Dave muttered, going a bit red. "Just thinking of someone from home."

"You must not like him that much," Lee said.

"Not really," Dave admitted bitterly.

"Is he…" the other boy began. Dave turned and looked at him curiously.

"Is he what?" he asked.

"Well, is he gay too?" Lee replied.

Dave flushed, not expecting to be talking about _fucking Blaine Whatshisface._ It was bad enough that he'd come in and swooped Hummel off of his feet –not that he really cared about Fancy and his love life all that much –but now he had Dave thinking about him too.

"Yeah…" Dave muttered, turning back around. Why was it so hard to admit it? He didn't have a crush on that triangle-browed, blazer-wearing, prep school pretty boy. So why should he be blushing?

He felt Lee looking at him still and braced himself for a barrage of questions: _Why are you thinking about a gay guy? Do you go to school with him? Is he cute? Did you two ever fool around? I thought you hated queers, so what's up? OMG, you're in the closet aren't you?_

But no questions came. Instead Dave heard Lee get up from his bed and plug his phone into the wall. Still he kept his guard up.

"What's Lima like?" the other boy asked after a while. "Emily said it was depressing and artistically stifling."

Dave chuckled. "She would say that," he said.

"What, why?" Lee pressed.

"She got suspended once for protesting when McKinley cut the arts budget. I was still in middle school at the time, but I remember seeing her on the news," Dave said fighting down a fit of laughter.

"What did she do to get on the news?" Lee asked in astonishment.

Dave was losing his fight now, he sprawled out on his bed holding his stomach. "She- hahaha… she found out that the funding had gone to- hahah… the sports teams and … and she and her friends did a little makeover on the teams' uniforms…" Dave managed in between bursts of laughter.

"What did they do?" Lee asked. He was positively excited now, laying on his stomach with his legs in the air. Dave couldn't help but glance a look at the boy's butt as it seemed to be stretching the fabric of his shorts pretty thin. Dave cleared his throat and tried to reimagine his cousin's little stunt.

"She and her friends cut holes in all of the crotches of the football team's pants, painted flowers on their helmets and pads and made a giant Trojan out of footballs after deflating them. The football team got most of the money because they were actually winning back then. Needless to say, that week's game was something to remember."

"Oh my god! I think I'm in love with her now…" Lee said in mock admiration. "I can totally see her doing something like that. She's a bit of a radical."

"Yeah," Dave chuckled. "She always was a bit too much for Lima. I can see why she chose Chicago."

"This is the city to be in! Sure, New York is the Big Apple and all, but I'd take Chi-town swag any day," Lee exclaimed proudly. "I just can't believe she didn't move here sooner. Hell, I'm still finding it hard to believe that you two are even related. I mean you're just so… well, _ordinary_!"

Dave's smile dissolved into a grimace. He winced at the word, flashes from a scene in a locker room appearing before his mind's eye.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he mumbled.

Lee's smile faded too, but into a look of confusion. "What? What is what supposed to mean?"

"What makes me so fucking ordinary? Why the hell do you people keep calling me that?" Dave spat, clenching his fist.

Lee looked at him like he had grown ten heads and started breathing fire. "Really? That's what you're ready to kill me over?" Dave winced again, feeling a pang of guilt and embarrassment this time. He looked down at his fist and scowled.

"I wasn't gonna kill you…" he muttered. "I wasn't…" but the rest of the sentence was lost as he sat up in his bed and turned his back on the other boy, desperately trying not to shake.

"What is with you?" Lee asked in an exasperated voice. "Why the hell do you take every little thing so personally?"

Dave didn't answer. He felt his eyes growing hot and knew that he had to calm down. _Why the fuck __**am**__ I taking everything so personally? What's wrong with me? Is Hummel really affecting me this much? FUCK! I thought I could fucking get over this shit if I just got away from that fucking town! But I guess running away won't make me any less of a fucking queer, will it?_

He was breaking apart now, he could feel it. He couldn't stop shaking and his nails were digging into his palms now, threatening to draw blood. "I just can't get away from it…" he said thickly.

"Get away from what?" Lee asked. Dave had heard him get out of his bed, his footsteps on the carpet were still heavy. "And what the hell did you mean '_you people_'? Does that have anything to do with _Blaine_, or whoever the heck you said?"

Dave shook his head furiously. He felt a weight on the end of the bed and stiffened. He whirled around and found himself face to face with an angry looking Lee.

"No?" the boy spat, "Are you sure? Because you seem to have a real problem when it comes to gay guys! I'm starting to think you're a little bit homophobic, Karofsky."

Again Dave flinched as if he'd been struck. Here was another person who was so sure that they knew him; so sure that they had him figured all out. He couldn't stand it! He wanted to scream from the top of the Sears Tower that he was David Fucking Karofsky and he was gay. His mind was racing now.

Thoughts all jumbling around in his head: images of locker rooms and crowns, the sound of a shrill voice telling him that he was a 'chubby boy who sweat too much and will probably be bald by the time he was thirty'. Then Dave noticed it: the scent of strawberries and cream. Lee smelled like Hummel. Dave's mind shut out the other boy's tirade and he noticed the lips, soft and pink, though not quite the same shape. But the smell was the same… the smell…

"If there's one type of person I can't stand it's someone who thinks that they're any better than anyone else because they think they're normal! So if you got beef with me being gay, then why don't you just-"

He couldn't help himself. His mind went blank; clouded by a strawberry-scented haze. He didn't know how it happened. He didn't even recognize where he was for a second, but when their lips broke apart, Dave saw the same look of horror and confusion on Love's face that has etched onto Hummel's in that locker room. _Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck! I did __**not**__ just fucking do that! What is __**wrong**__with me?_

His mind was racing again, taking in the situation and thinking of possible ways, any way to get out of this situation. His eyes however found themselves still glued to Lee's. They were staring at each other, faces inches away so that Dave could still taste Lee's breath on his tongue. The look of shock and confusion was fading from his face and being replaced with something Dave couldn't decipher. It was a look he'd never gotten from anyone else before. It was wanting; hungry. He couldn't quite place it, but it scared and excited him at the same time. All thoughts of Hummel dissolved and all he could see were those brown eyes, that caramel skin, and those pink lips –still slightly parted. _I wonder…_ he thought.

He closed his eyes, leaning in. Hummel had pushed him back, hard. He waited for the impact; he waited for the rejection, but as he leaned closer in, the only impact he felt was the soft lips against his. A flash of smooth, porcelain skin danced in front of his eyes for a second before his mind went blank again.

**Oh no! Dave no, that's not Kurt! Boy you are drunk! Stop that right now! Crap, fuck my stupid brain for coming up with this! How the hell will Dave explain this one? I guess we all know that he ends up with Kurt when he gets back to Lima, but what's going to happen here? Would love some reviews! XOXO.**

**~Jay**


	2. Chapter 2: Changes

**Here's part 2 of TTM. I thank you all for the support and I hope you enjoy this little peak into Dave's personal journey:**

**These Three Months**

**Chapter 2: Changes**

"Are you OK, Dave?" Lee whispered into his ear.

Dave was breathing heavily, his mind still reeling from what happened. His heart was throbbing; aching with confusion and guilt –the confusion he understood well, but the guilt? What did he have to feel guilty for? It wasn't like he had anyone back home. Who's business was it anyway?

"Lay back down," Lee said, wrapping a warm arm around Dave's bare chest. "I can make you feel better, if you want…" Dave's heart fluttered again. His erection throbbed between his legs, tenting the sheets.

He laid back down trying to get his breathing back to normal. Beside him, Lee adjusted his body and came to rest his head on Dave's chest, growling softly as his finger traced the outline of one of the nipples. Shivers ran up and down Dave's spine and he felt another throb of his manhood. Who would have thought something like this could happen to him?

It had been almost a month since he'd kissed Lee and effectively shattered his plan to stay under the gaydar and forget all about the past two years. Now here he was, waking up after a _long_ night, almost completely naked and in bed with the other boy. It felt like he'd climbed over some ridiculously tall mountain or swam across the pacific in record time. He felt accomplished. He felt good.

Now he felt _really_ good. He let out a soft moan as Lee planted a line of soft kisses down his torso and gasped when the boy gently peeled off the sheets, revealing his throbbing erection that tented his underwear.

"Oh my god…" Lee moaned, making him throb again. The boy looked up at him with hungry eyes. "I'm gonna get you out of these sooner or later," Lee said, poking the peak of the tent and making Dave twitch. "We're so far off third base that we might as well sprint for home, you know," the other boy said with a wicked little grin.

Dave chuckled but shook his head. "I- I'm not ready just yet." Lee groaned in frustration and reluctantly covered Dave's lower half back up.

"Fine," he said planting another line of kisses, this time up Dave's torso to his neck.

Dave moaned softly again as he felt Lee bite down softly, sucking the skin. Lee gave a soft growl in response and gently pinched the jock's nipple until I was hard. Dave couldn't believe how sensitive he was. He'd never allowed himself this kind of closeness, this kind of intimacy with anyone before. He'd always felt guilty and ashamed when he thought about other guys to get himself off. It felt dirty and wrong, but there seemed to be no such inhibitions where Lee was concerned.

They'd only made out until last night, but Dave couldn't go through with it so Lee had had to settle for some fierce grinding and tongue wrestling instead. The little fling between them lasted a few weeks before Dave had to stop.

"I'm so sorry…" he'd said to an obviously upset Lee. "I really do like you, but I- I just can't…"

There was still something holding him back; something that wouldn't allow him to give himself away just yet. It was frustrating to be wanted by someone so appealing and not being able to go after it; to let go and seize the moment. After all, what did he owe Hummel? _Shit!_

He'd said it again: _Hummel._ It was like a cancer that just wouldn't go away. It wouldn't let him be. Every time he thought he was ready to be done with it, it somehow crawled back into his mind and attached itself to his thoughts and dreams. It didn't help that Lee kept questioning him about the singer either.

* * *

><p>"So is he cute?" Lee had asked him at lunch one day.<p>

Dave almost choked on his Chicago style deep-dish. Emily raised an eyebrow and Dave flushed when she caught his eye.

"Is _who_ cute?" she asked suspiciously. She'd taken the news about her cousin with surprised enthusiasm. She and Dave were always close and now they shared another bond.

"Nobody," Dave muttered, glaring at Lee. The other boy just shrugged.

"He's got a crush back in Bean Town," Lee said with a smirk.

Dave's face boiled at the words. "It's not a crush! I just… owe him," he said.

"Dave, I'm jealous…" Lee said, touching his hand to his chest dramatically. Dave rolled his eyes and Lee and Emily laughed.

"You've got nothing to be jealous of," Dave said. "Trust me. I don't… I don't like the guy like that."

Lee and Emily gave each other knowing looks. "Cuz, you don't make a face like that if you don't like someone," Emily said.

"Seriously, Dave, you just need to admit it to yourself. This Kurt Hummel must be something special to you," Lee said. Dave didn't miss the sliver of hurt in the boy's voice. He caught Lee's eye and the boy automatically dropped his gaze, turning his attention to his giant onion rings."

"I… I kind of messed him up last year…" Dave mumbled. The other two looked at him for a moment and then at each other. He'd never told anyone else why he'd picked on Kurt, but he knew they'd want to know –if they hadn't already figured it out.

"David Karofsky! I never pegged you for a bully!" Emily scolded. "I can't believe my big teddy bear of a cousin would ever do something like that. You were so sweet as a kid."

"I'm not a kid anymore…" Dave said ashamedly. "I didn't know then why I did it. I was just… so fucking mad at him. He was always strutting around like he owned the place; not caring what others thought about him and what he was. It pissed me off…"

"You resented him," Lee said knowingly. Dave nodded slowly, picking at the last of his pizza.

"I guess I did. I didn't know what to think or feel at the time. I was just angry; So mad at everything…" he said.

Lee and Emily sat quietly, not quite sure what to say. Dave knew he probably was better off telling them this stuff, but he couldn't help feel like he was being a little weak.

"It doesn't matter," he said after a while. "Even if I did like him, after all I did, I'm sure he'd never even think twice about me."

* * *

><p>Later that night Lee wasn't in a very talkative mood. Dave felt horrible for bringing Hummel up because it always seemed to make him depressed. Even though the two had decided to just stay friends, Dave knew that Lee wanted more. The only problem was that Dave didn't know what <em>he<em> wanted. He couldn't drag Lee around or make him hope for something that probably wasn't going to last. The other boy said that he understood that, but it apparently didn't change his feelings towards Dave any.

The silence was killing him. Dave looked over to where Lee was laying in his bed, pretending to sleep. He sighed and rolled over, trying to quiet the storm in his mind so that he could fall asleep, but the guilt wouldn't let go of him. _Why the hell can't I just not care about this shit? I'm not supposed to be the nice guy. I'm supposed to be the asshole jock that gets what he wants and everyone has to deal with it. So why the hell do I care so much?_

"_I can't believe my big teddy bear of a cousin would ever do something like that. You were so sweet as a kid."_ Emily's words came back to him. But Dave wasn't that person anymore and he hadn't been for a long time. Dave didn't even have the heart to tell her about him stealing Kurt's first kiss. He hardly even wanted to admit it himself because it made him sound like some kind of rapist or something. Then there was the freaky incident with the wedding topper. _God, what the fuck was I thinking on that one? I should have just given it back…_

He thought about the little box he kept it in under his bed at home. Paul never went into Dave's room so there was really no need to hide it, but he couldn't bring himself to leave it out in the open. It was just another reminder of how sick he'd been. Yet, somewhere deep inside it represented hope; a hope for something that would probably never happen._ No probably about it: it never __**will**__ happen, _he thought bitterly. _I don't even like him like that,_ he said, trying to convince himself. _I can't… not after what I did to him… I could never ask for that kind of relationship. I'm lucky he even forgave me. Hell I'm just lucky he hasn't outed me yet, _he thought.

Dave heard Lee stir in his bed and turned to face him. Lee was looking up at the ceiling.

"Can't sleep," the boy said, not looking at Dave.

"Me either," Dave replied. Silence fell between them again and Dave frowned. It was really hard trying to talk to someone he knew liked him, but so easy to talk to people who feared and hated him. _That's really messed up…_

"I- I'm sorry if I made you mad, or something," Dave mumbled. Lee turned his head to look at the large boy and considered him for a bit before speaking.

"Or something," he said simply.

"I'm sorry," Dave said, propping himself up on his arm. "I- I just can't stop thinking about him. It's not like I try to. I don't even want to." _Liar…_

"It doesn't really matter," Lee sighed. "Like you said, you messed him up pretty bad last year right? What about now? How does he feel about you now?"

"I…" Dave hesitated. "I don't know. He says he doesn't hate me." Even as he said it, Dave knew it sounded pathetic. Everything that Hummel said or did made him sound so weak. He wondered if he wasn't the victim sometimes. _No… I hurt him. I'm the one who did all of that because I was jealous. I couldn't handle how happy he was… especially without me…_

"He said that all he could see was my pain now and that he wanted to help me," Dave mumbled. He couldn't stop himself. Somehow, despite how weak it made him sound or how pathetic it made him feel, it still gave him some kind of small hope.

"Well he sounds like a nice guy then. I can see why you like him," Lee said after a while.

"I- I don't know what I feel for him," Dave admitted. "In all honesty he was the first other gay guy I knew. I didn't think I had a choice."

Lee sat up in his bed and the two looked at each other. He looked Dave over curiously before sighing and shaking his head. "No, you like him," he said finally. "You may not know it yet, or how much, but there's much more to your feelings than him being the only other gay guy you knew. I can see it in your eyes."

"My eyes?" Dave asked.

"Yeah. The way they look when you talk about him. It's like you're seeing his face; like he's standing right here in the room with us. It... it's the same way I look at you…" Lee said, the last bit coming out in the faintest whisper, but Dave heard it.

"I…" he started.

"No," Lee cut him off, shaking his head. "It's OK, Dave. I know we don't have a chance." Dave looked at the boy apologetically, but Lee put a smirk on his face. "I'm too fabulous for you anyway."

Both boys laughed and Dave could feel the tension lifting. "So you're not mad at me?" he asked cautiously.

"Mad? Me? Naw," Lee said waving the thought away. "I know you have your life back home in Bane Town and I'm sorry, but there's no way I could leave the big city. I'm just not cut out for small towns with only three gay guys in it. I'd go crazy!"

Dave chuckled and leaned back in on his pillow. "I'm sure there's more than three in Lima," he said thoughtfully. "The others are just too scared to go through what Kurt did."

"Kurt?" Lee said, "Not Hummel?"

Dave smiled. "Naw, still Hummel for now… just a slip of the tongue…"

* * *

><p>On his last day in Chicago Dave found himself surrounded by people. He'd made a good group of friends these last few weeks and now he had to say goodbye. On their last phone conversation, Paul had offered to pay for him to go to school there. There were a number of really nice high schools for him to attend. It was a tempting offer, one that Dave took a long time to think about, but in the end it wasn't what he wanted. He had to go back to Lima. He'd run away and it did do him some good, but he'd always regret not going back. He couldn't keep running and even if he never got up enough courage to come out, he'd at least make things up to Hummel; to Kurt.<p>

"We'll miss you, you know," Lee said. They had climbed onto a narrow fire escape. The night was warm, but there was a cool breeze blowing in from Lake Michigan and the view of downtown was absolutely spectacular. Chicago really shined at night.

"I'll miss you guys too," Dave replied. "I feel like I've grown," he said chuckling a bit.

Lee positioned himself in front of Dave and looked up with squinty eyes. "Maybe an inch or two…" he joked. Dave laughed and Lee smiled widely.

"You know," Dave said after a few moments, "you might not be able to stand it, but it'd be cool if you came to see me in Bean Town some time. Who knows, you might actually like it."

"Hmmm…" Lee hummed, tapping his fingers on his chin. "I guess that wouldn't be such a bad idea. I'd get to meet this Kurt boy right?"

Dave blushed. "I- I don't know about that. We're not exactly on hanging out terms yet."

"Well that's no good! You'll have to make some progress then. I'd like to meet him. Maybe that Blaine boy too, he sounds hot…" Lee said with a wink.

Dave chuckled again. "If you like greasy haired hobbits with triangle brows, then sure, he's gorgeous," he joked.

"Mmmmm…" Lee moaned jokingly.

"Besides," Dave said trying to keep a straight face, "they're together; Kurt and Blaine."

"Oh… I see," Lee replied. "That's a problem huh?

"Not really," sighed Dave, "they're a perfect match. They do everything together; they shop together, eat together, they like the same movies and musicals. They're like soul mates or something."

"That's no fun," Lee said with a grimace.

"What do you mean?" Dave asked. "They're like best friends."

"Yeah," the other boy replied. "Exactly. That sounds like a best friend relationship to me. I mean who wants to be with someone who's exactly like them. It sounds great at first, but then you realize you could have just went ahead and married yourself. It's like masturbating…"

Dave looked at him like he'd said he was the queen of England. "What?"

"Oh come on, Davey," Lee said rolling his eyes. "Haven't you ever heard: opposites attract. A relationship is more than having things in common and doing everything together. There needs to be spice; a fire that makes it interesting and fulfilling. Like I said, it's like the difference between masturbating and making love to someone; one's sad and lonely and the other is electrifying."

Dave couldn't help but to burst out laughing. "Dude, you're crazy!"

Lee chuckled. "Maybe so, but you have to admit, a relationship is more fun when you're not hanging out with yourself."

Dave smiled and shook his head. It was a nice thought. Maybe Kurt and Blaine _were_ too similar, but he didn't see anything that hinted at them being worried about it, let alone them breaking up over it. _It's a nice thought though,_ he said to himself.

The two boys headed back to the party and Dave let himself be happy for the rest of the night. These people didn't judge him; they knew who he was and accepted him despite it; maybe even _because_ of it. It would be hard leaving them behind, but Lima was where he needed to be. He had a lot to make up for and a lot of courage to find. It might take a while, but one day, Kurt Hummel would forgive him entirely and maybe they could move on and become friends.

Maybe more…

**And thus ends our little adventure in Chicago. As Dave goes home to Lima, he takes with him a renewed spirit and a different outlook on life. He knows he's got a lot to do to change, but he's willing and as we know, he'll be better for it in the future. Thank you for indulging my little fantasy. I hope you all enjoyed this little look into our beloved Dave's summer vacation. Actually, I don't know how you feel about Dave, but I hope you know that people aren't always what they seem. Let me know what you guys think! I'll be working on Part 2 of Senior Year; A Kurtofsky Chronicle, but in the meantime I might just come up with something else. XOXO**

**~Jay**


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